KIDNAPPED
by redrose7856
Summary: A novelization of the NBC drama. The 15 year old son of Ellie and Conrad Cain is kidnapped, they must decide whether or not to involve the police....as well as how to get their son back.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Kidnapped. The plot, characters, and idea were thought up by NBC, and I do not own it.**

--NEW YORK, CAIN RESIDENCE--

A boy lay face down in the water, just below its surface. His eyes were closed, and he wasn't moving.

On a busy street, a doorman checked his watch as an SUV appeared in the distance. He hurried out as the car pulled up and a tall, muscular black man got out.

"Morning Virgil," the doorman said hastily as 'Virgil' brushed past him and went inside, taking off his jacket before entering the elevator. Its only other occupant was a deliveryman holding a vase full of flowers.

"Morning Virgil," he said, stepping to one side so that the other man could enter the elevator. "You know they get these flowers delivered every week?" the deliveryman continued. "Crystal vase and all that. I asked the delivery man 'What's the bill with all roses?' You know what he said to me?" Virgil glanced at him briefly.

"They're hydrangeas," he corrected just as the elevator dinged and he strode out.

"Yeah, that's-that's what he said," the deliveryman said, sounding slightly rebuffed.

Virgil made his way down the hallway, where the door was opened almost immediately by a young girl of about twelve.

"You're thirty-eight seconds late," she announced, looking at her watch.

--CAIN RESIDENCE, MASTER BATHROOM--

"They want to see consistency…." The reporter droned on as Conrad Cain stuck his razor beneath the hot water.

"_There_ you are!" his wife Ellie said, coming up behind him. Conrad glanced at her in the mirror.

"Wow, you're smiling," he said.

"The woman from the _Times_ is here," she explained, walking further into the bathroom.

"The woman from the times, huh?" Conrad repeated.

"_Breakfast with the Cains_, remember?"

"Did you tell her we don't actually eat breakfast?" Conrad asked. His wife looked at him.

"I laid your clothes out on the bed," she said before walking out. "Missed a spot!"

Conrad frowned and studied his cheek. He attempted to get "the spot", and instead nicked himself.

Meanwhile, Ellie made her way down the stairs and into the dining room, where the _Times_ reporter was instructing her crew.

Virgil and the girl were in the kitchen, and she was pumping on a coffee machine when the door opened and Ellie walked in, followed by the reporter and Maria, the Cain's housekeeper.

"Morning, Alice," Ellie said cheerfully before looking at the _Times_ reporter. "This is Alice, my youngest." Maria walked over to the young girl.

"What did I tell you about making a mess in my kitchen?" she asked sternly.

"And that's Maria," Ellie explained to the reporter. "She's been with us since Leopold was born."

"And this is Virgil," Alice said cheerfully, motioning to where the man was sipping his coffee. "He's my brother Leo's--!"

"Alice," her mother interrupted, hurrying over to her daughter. "We don't discuss Virgil with guests," she said softly in French to her daughter.

"Sorry, Mommy," Alice answered in French.

In the pool, the boy still wasn't moving. Alice and Virgil walked in and stood by the edge.

"Leopold!" Alice called. "Leopold!" She glanced curiously at Virgil. "Why do people need bodyguards?" He stared at the water a moment before replying,

"Sometimes the world doesn't make sense."

Under the water, the boy's eyes opened and he looked at his watch before surfacing, shoving back his wet hair with one hand.

"Mom says you have to come now," Alice informed him.

In the kitchen, Ellie and the reporter looked up as Conrad entered.

"Good morning," he said, kissing his wife.

"Uh, this is my husband," she said. "Conrad. Conrad, this is--!"

"The woman from the _Times_," her husband finished, sounding quite pleased with himself. Ellie shot him a look.

"Elizabeth," she corrected.

"How did you two meet?" Elizabeth asked, eager for the story.

"Pretty woman, across the room, I saw what I wanted, and the rest is history," Conrad said. Just then, Leopold, Virgil, and Alice walked in. "Morning Leo," Conrad said.

"Don't call me Leo, it makes me sound like an old man," the teenager replied.

"Whatcha reading?" his father asked, ignoring the comment. Leo casually announced, "_The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind_" and then looked at his parents expectantly, as if they were supposed to understand it. Ellie stepped forward.

"And beneath all this wet hair," she said, brushing her son's bangs back. "Is my son Leo." Just then, Leo's cellphone rang and he answered it, said a casual, "Five minutes," and then hung up.

"Don't talk on your cellphone in the house, Leo," Ellie admonished in French. "It makes you look like a gangster."

"It's cool to look like a gangster, Mom," Leo answered coolly in the same vernacular. After several photos later, Leo and Virgil were heading down to the car.

"How long today?" Virgil asked his young charge.

"Three minutes, twelve seconds," Leo answered. "The longest record for static apnea is eight minutes, six seconds, and it's held by Martin Stepanek. What's the longest you've ever held your breath, Virgil?"

"Long as I had to," Virgil answered as they walked outside.

"My dad says it's stupid, that I should give it up," Leo commented as Virgil opened the car door for him.

"What do you say?"

"I tell him not to hold his breath," Leo answered with a feisty grin. Hiding a smile, Virgil shut the back door and then climbed into the passenger seat.

"Let's go," he ordered the driver. _Click_. The sound of the door slamming shut again made Virgil spin around, one hand sliding beneath his jacket.

"It's just Alfred," Leo said hastily. "His driver broke down; we're giving him a lift."

"Morning," Alfred said cheerfully.

"Hey," Leo answered. Sighing with something akin to relief, Virgil nodded to the driver and they drove off.

Halfway to the school, the driver put on his brakes to avoid crashing into a broken down red car.

"Great!" he muttered. Virgil glanced back at Leo and Alfred, who didn't look too bothered by the news that they'd be late to school. Virgil glanced around them suspiciously. A cop was directing traffic, a man was setting out cones, and a garbage truck was backing into an alley behind them, blocking the way. The cop turned and began to walk towards the SUV. Virgil's hand slid beneath his jacket as the window was rolled down.

--APARTMENT, LOCATION UNKNOWN--

"Mr. Green," said the man, rolling a racquetball in his hand.

"Mr. Schroeder," was the curt reply.

"Tell me about yourself."

"What do you want to know?" Green asked.

"I don't know," the racquetball holder said thoughtfully. "What do you want me to know?"

"I'm a Pisces," Green said flatly. "This is my natural hair color. I prefer the country to the city."

"Oh yeah?" the interviewer said, intrigued. "Why is that? Why do you prefer the country to the city?"

"I like to go on hikes."

"Oh really. Why don't you tell me about one of your hiking experiences?"

"I could tell you about this one time I went on a hike saw three rattlesnakes and a dead dog."

"Okay."

"Well this one time I went on a hike and saw three rattlesnakes and a dead dog,"

"To brass tax, then," Schroeder said.

"How does this work?" Green demanded.

"The way that it works, Mr. Green, is that no one knows the way that it works. Everyone gets a task. You do your work; you get paid a flat fee. It's an early bird snatch. High society. Headlines. Very public. You work in contingency."

--NEW YORK, STREET--

The cop pulled out a gun and fired, killing the driver and spattering the window with blood. In the back, both boys gasped and instinctively lowered themselves in their seats. The cop turned his gun on Virgil, but three well placed bullets from the bodyguard's sidearm took care of him. Virgil glanced into the backseat.

"Get down, don't move!" he ordered, climbing out of the car. Turning, he took out both the construction worker and the driver of the garbage truck. Then there was a stinging pain in his back and he dropped to the ground.

Up on the rooftop, Mr. Green lowered the sniper rifer and then spoke into his lapel.

"Clear."

In the car, Leo nudged Alfred.

"C'mon," he whispered, moving towards the door. Scarcely had his hand touched the handle when the cop reappeared, alive! He opened the front door, shoved the driver's body aside, got in, and drove off.

--CAIN'S APARTMENT--

Ellie paced nervously as she spoke into the phone.

"Leopold's school just called. He never showed up,"

"Did you try his cellphone?" her husband asked.

"I-I-I _did_ try his cellphone, he's not answering!" Ellie said, feeling panic rise in her chest.

In his car, Conrad sighed.

"Look, Ellie, relax. I'm sure he's OK!" She opened her mouth to speak but just then someone knocked on the door, causing her to look up. It was Maria.

"What is it?" Ellie asked. The housekeeper pushed the door open the rest of the way, revealing a disheveled Alfred.

"Ellie, what is it?" Conrad asked.

"Alfred?" Ellie said, pale. "Where's Leopold?" The boy stepped through the doorway, holding a folded note. He handed it to her and she took it. Written on it in plain script were four words:

"Don't Call The Police."

--CAIN'S KITCHEN, NIGHT--

Alice read at the counter while her dad made her a sandwich, talking on the phone.

"Yeah, listen Aubrey; it's me, Dad – again. Listen, it's very important that you call me and just let me know you're OK, so-!"

"Daddy?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, sweetie, just keep reading. I've called you several times--!"

"Daddy." Alice persisted.

"Just keep reading, sweetie, I don't like it that you disappear, Aubrey-!"

"Dad!" Alice said.

"What?" her father yelled, setting the phone down.

"You're using mayonnaise instead of peanut butter," Alice pointed out. Conrad stared at the sandwich he'd been making and then went over to his youngest daughter. She, at least, was safe at home.

"Sorry, sweetie," he said, kissing her head. Maria entered.

"Mr. Cain," she said, motioning towards the other room.

"Yeah. Could you….it's just peanut butter and jelly…" Conrad said as he passed her on his way into the den, where his old friend Roger was waiting

"I spoke to Russel Allman at Secure Trust, Virgil's employer," he announced. "He says they'll keep it quiet on their end."

"All right," Conrad said.

"Connie," Roger said. "Is there anything I don't know that I need to know?"

"What the h-- you mean by that?" Conrad asked coldly.

"What are we doing Conrad?" Ellie asked, appearing in the doorway wrapped in a blanket.

"Roger and I were just discussing it," her husband answered.

"We could call the police," Roger suggested.

"No, we're not going to call the police. The note said not to do that." Conrad said firmly.

"I would think the note always says that," Ellie said scathingly. She grabbed the phone. "I'm calling my father; he'll know what to do."

"No, you're not calling your father." Conrad said, taking the phone from her and hanging it back up. "He's my son, I'll deal with it." Ellie glared at him.

"Then deal with it," she snapped. "Now."

"I know a guy," Roger offered. "Well, I know _of_ a guy. He's a specialist."

--A HOUSE, LOCATION UNKNOWN--

The pair sat in their van, looking at the house several yards away. The woman turned to her companion.

"Pretty," she said grimly. He cocked his weapon and looked at her before getting out and heading towards the house.

A guy walked out of the front door, shutting it firmly behind him. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one. All thoughts of smoking were banished from his head as he heard a pistol cock right by his ear.

"You know, those things will kill you," said the man. "I'm here for the girl."

Upstairs, a man unlocked a door and walked in, carrying a plate of food. Inside, a girl lay on the bed, hands bound behind her back. Setting the plate down, the man cut her hands free and then yanked her into a sitting position.

"If my parents paid you, why am I still here?" she asked in a trembling voice.

"Shut up, and eat." He commanded, shoving the plate into her lap.

"Hard or easy?" asked a voice. Both captor and captive looked up. A man stood in the doorway, his gun in the back of another captor. The captor drew his gun and fired, hitting his own associate and killing him. The newcomer fired twice, killing the kidnapper, and then turned to shoot down a third attacker on the stairs. He then let his captive's body drop to the floor and then he turned to face the girl…….who was pointing the dead kidnapper's gun at him. He held up both hands and then holstered his gun. "My name's Knapp, I was hired by your father. I'm here to bring you home," he said as calmly as possible. "Your dad told me that when you were a little girl, he used to call you Sammy." Her jaw tightened at the mention of her father; she looked close to tears. "But that now he calls you Samson, because you're the strongest person he's ever known." As he spoke, Knapp slowly made his way over to her. "I could use some of that strength right now, OK?" Still shaking, she gave him a tiny nod. "OK. There's just one more thing I need you to do." As he spoke, Knapp cautiously reached for the gun, his eyes locked onto hers. She let it slip from her grasp easily, her hands trembling. He laid a hand on her arm. "Let's get you home."

Several minutes later, the van pulled up several yards from another car. Knapp watched the couple scrambled out the car. He got out and opened the back of the van. The girl got out, wrapped snugly in an old parka they'd found somewhere. She ran to her parents, throwing her arms around her father's neck. Knapp took a few steps towards them and then stopped, watching the family reunion.

"Let's go home," the father whispered, looking at Knapp. He released his daughter – who was then embraced by his wife – and approached Knapp. He handed over a duffel bag.

"Thanks for bringing her back to us," he said, unshed tears glistening in his eyes. Knapp got into the van and then he and his partner, Turner, watched the family drive away.

"She gonna be OK?" Turner asked. Knapp nodded.

"Someday."

--CAIN HOUSEHOLD --

Ellie looked into Leopold's room. His bed was made, neatly and the rest of it was in its usual state of disarray. She lay down on the twin bed, her eyes still wet with unshed tears.

The next morning, Conrad paced in front of the fireplace. Ellie sat on the sofa, so distraught she couldn't speak. The door behind them opened and Roger walked in, followed by a man who was presumably Knapp, the "specialist".

"Thank you for coming, Mr. Knapp." Conrad said gratefully, shaking the man's hand. Knapp nodded, looking slightly uneasy at the emotions. He looked back at Roger.

"Roger, I'd like a moment alone with the Cains," he announced. Roger nodded and went outside, where Turner was setting up her equipment.

"So you're Knapp's……..associate?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, not looking up from her work.

"Do you have a name?" Roger persisted.

"Yeah."

In the room, Knapp sat down facing the Cains.

"All right. The first thing I got to tell you to do is call the F.B.I. You should know that option is available to you. The second thing I'll tell you is whatever you do, don't call the F.B.I. You see the F.B.I.'s objective during a kidnapping investigation is to effect the safe return of the subject, along with the identification, apprehension, and prosecution of the kidnappers. As well as the recovery of the ransom payments. All I care about is retrieval. Everything else is a distraction. My fee is non-negotiable, payable upon the safe return of the kidnap victim, intact."

"What does that mean, intact?" Ellie asked.

"It means we don't pay him if Leopold's dead," her husband explained, his expression stony.

"From nothing comes nothing," Knapp replied. Ellie looked at him.

"You're not very good with people…..are you, Mr. Knapp?" she asked.

"No," he admitted. "But I'm good at finding them."

--FBI HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK--

A young man pushed the door open and ran towards the conference room. The speeches had already begun, and the crowd broke into applause just as he arrived.

"Latimer King is the last of the bloodhounds. A man who follows his gut. H--, you can't even turn on a computer, can you?" The other agents laughed. "This man taught me everything I know," Agent Andy Archer was saying.

"A mistake," Latimer put in, causing everyone to laugh. Then Archer had them all applaud again.

A while later, the young man stood in the doorway, watching Latimer pack up his things. The older agent glanced at him briefly.

"I know I'm pretty friend, but I'm not that pretty," he finally said.

"You probably don't remember me," the man said, stepping into the office. "Atkins. I was stationed in Anchorage when you worked the Hollister case." They shook hands.

"That's nice," Latimer commented. "Why'd you transfer here?"

"Thought I could do some good," Atkins answered with a shrug.

"Aren't you the bright eyed, bushy tailed North American go-getter," King answered.

"I was actually looking forward to working with you," Atkins hinted.

"I'm retiring,"

"You're a good agent. Why would you retire?" Atkins asked. Latimer looked at him.

"Do you know what a percentage by range is?" he asked.

"The number of pellet marks in a 30-inch circle over a 40-yard range divided by the number of pellets in the load." Atkins said proudly.

"That's why I'm retiring," Latimer answered, before looking past Atkins at a young woman who'd just entered the office. "Jackie," he said, sounding surprised yet pleased. "What's wrong?" She glanced nervously over at Atkins, and Latimer looked at him. "Uh, would you excuse us for a second?" he asked. Atkins nodded and walked out. Latimer looked again at Jackie. "What is it?"

"Virgil didn't come home last night," she answered. Latimer quickly shut the door.

"Did you call his office?" he asked.

"They said he's on vacation – which would be true, if we hadn't already missed the flight. Virgil said that if anything ever happened, I should come to you. He said you'd handle it."

--CAIN'S APARTMENT--

Knapp and the Cains slowly made their way through the apartment.

"Alice is our youngest, she doesn't know what's going on," Conrad was saying. "Our oldest, Aubrey, is away at school – Brown – and we've been trying to reach her for….twelve hours."

"When can you get me a list of enemies?" Knapp asked. Conrad stopped walking and looked back at him.

"Enemies?" he repeated.

"Someone in your past, someone who might want to see something bad happen to you or your family?" Knapp suggested.

"I don't think-!"

"Mr. Cain. A man in your position is bound to have enemies."

"What are you saying?" Ellie demanded.

"I suggest your husband makes a list," Knapp said, before going to look around Leo's room. Awhile later, Turner walked in.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," he replied, flipping through a book. "What kind of fifteen year old reads _Buddhist Epistemology_?"

"A lonely one. Don't tell me you've read it." Turner said.

"Uh-uh. Not this translation," Knapp said as he stood and replaced the book on the shelf. "You set on the phones?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered. "Inbound."

"Get me outbound too," Knapp said, looking at a picture of Leopold's older sister, Aubrey. "And get on the horn with Jim Elwood in Rhode Island, have him find Aubrey Cain and bring her in."

"Where are you going?" Turner asked as he passed her and headed down the hall.

"Talk to the Masters' kid," he answered.

--LEOPOLD CAIN'S SCHOOL--

Knapp waded through the sea of students towards the sign-in desk. A boy sat outside the main office, staring at his knees. Knapp looked at him

"Are you Alfred?"

--CAIN RESIDENCE--

Conrad sat in his desk, staring off into space. The phone rang and he grabbed it.

"Hello?"

"It's Joe, from the lobby," said the person on the other end.

Several minutes later, Conrad hurried into the lobby, where a man was waiting.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Mr. Cain, I'm Special Agent Latimer King, FBI. Can I speak to you for a moment?"

Conrad led the agent up to his office.

"What can I do for you, Agent King?"

"This is about your son's bodyguard, Virgil Hayes."

"Is he in some kind of trouble?"

"He's missing, so yes, that might be the case," King answered.

"That's strange. I just saw him yesterday," Conrad commented, motioning the agent to take a seat.

"What time was that?"

"Same time as always, 7 am. You can set your watch by Virgil."

"Is your son here now, Mr. Cain? Could I speak with him?"

"Uh, no. Leopold's gone to visit his sister up at college." Conrad said, praying he didn't sound like the liar he was.

"Alone?"

"How do you mean?"

"Did Virgil go with him?" King persisted.

"Uh, no." Conrad said. The agent looked at him, curious. "And I was fully against it, but Leopold…..uh….you know parents, you have to choose your battles."

"Ah yeah," King said, breaking into a smile. "He get there OK?"

"Yeah. My wife spoke to him, and he's fine," Conrad lied, wishing that he was telling the truth.

"Brown, huh?" the agent said. Conrad frowned.

"What?" he asked. King pointed to a photo behind Conrad of Aubrey wearing her college sweatshirt. "Yeah."

"I'd hate to get that bill in the mail, King joked. Conrad agreed and they both chuckled.

"Is there anything else?" Conrad asked.

"No," King said, rising. "Thank you for your time."

"Certainly."

"One more thing, Mr. Cain: Why does your son have a bodyguard?"

"It has to do with my work. A few years ago we had a hostile takeover; there were death threats." Conrad answered truthfully. King nodded.

A few minutes later, he walked out, talking on his cellphone.

"Yeah, Cal, I need you to do me a favor. Go to Brown and look up a student named Aubrey Cain."

--LEOPOLD CAIN'S SCHOOL--

Alfred flipped through a binder full of mug shots.

"Take your time," Knapp advised him. His cellphone rang and he left the boy to his work as he answered it. "Yeah, Knapp………well, we knew it was just a matter of time before someone started knocking on your door, Mr. Cain," he said, glancing back at Alfred. The boy leaned back in his chair, staring at a page. "I'll call you back," Knapp said, cutting off the frantic millionaire and walking over to Alfred. "Which one is it?" Alfred's face twisted in a mixture of anger and pain as he tapped one of the mug shots. Knapp nodded. "Good job," he said, pulling out his cellphone and dialing Turner. "Hey, it's me. I need a current address for a Ray Canton."

--RAY CANTON'S BUILDING--

Knapp walked into the building and over to the windowed desk where a man sat watching TV. Knapp rapped on the glass.

"I'm looking for my brother," he said.

"I don't see a resemblance," the man retorted, turning back to his TV. Sighing, Knapp knocked again and then slid a hundred dollar bill into the booth. The man perked up. "Oh, there it is," he said.

He and Knapp took the elevator up to Canton's floor, where Knapp had to dodge to one side to avoid a young geeky looking man carrying a briefcase. Knapp then nodded his thanks to the manager and made his way down the hallway to Canton's room. As he stood outside the apartment, he could hear the television blaring. Grabbing his gun with one hand, Knapp tried the door with the other. Locked. He stood back and then kicked the door open, darting in to look for Canton. The man wasn't too hard to find. He was lying on his bed, motionless. Knapp sighed and holstered his gun. Canton wouldn't be talking to anyone where he was going.

--CENTRAL PARK--

The young man who'd been at Canton's apartment made his way past all the park goers, his briefcase clutched in one hand. Taking care of Canton had been simple; hopefully Green would be the same.

--APARTMENT, LOCATION UNKNOWN--

Schroeder looked up from his bouncing racquetball as the phone rang. He grabbed it.

"Yes?"

"The accounts for Ray Canton have just been closed. I noticed someone else, though. Someone out of place."

"Leave it for now," Schroeder ordered. "What's the status on Green?"

"Taking care of it now," answered the man, flipping his phone shut and heading to where Mr. Green was standing on the bridge. The man looked up as he approached.

"You the accountant?" he asked.

"I balance the books," the Accountant answered, opening his briefcase.

"How does this work?" Green asked, tossing another handful of bread crumbs down to the ducks. In response, the Accountant pulled out a silenced pistol and shot him before putting the gun away, closing his briefcase, and heading back the way he had come, calling Schroeder and announcing that: "All three accounts have been closed."

In his office, Schroeder dialed a number and then walked over to a set of computers. It was time to make the call.

--CAIN RESIDENCE--

Conrad looked up as the phone rang. He laid a hand on it, looking at Turner, waiting until she was set up. She nodded and he picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"We have your son," came the garbled voice. "He is alive. If you would like to keep it that way, wait by the phone for further instructions. And don't call the police."

"Please, let me speak to him!" Conrad begged. A dial tone echoed in his ear. "Hello?" He stared at the phone and then looked at Turner, who was already beginning a trace.

--BEDROOM, LOCATION UNKNOWN--

Leopold Cain lay on a cot, unconscious. He stirred and then rolled onto his back, rubbing sleep from his eyes. A man stood over him. With a gasp, Leo started to sit up, but the man clamped his hand over Leo's mouth, shushing him.

--FBI HEADQUARTERS--

"I just got off the phone with Roger Prince; do you know who that is?" Andy Archer demanded. King shrugged.

"Who?" he asked.

"Conrad Cain's lawyer." Archer snarled. "What the h-- were you doing there?"

"None of your business, and I'd watch my tone, Andy. I'm still your boss until the end of this week."

"You can't just go knocking on Conrad Cain's front door. Besides, the lawyer said the kid's in Rhode Island." Archer snapped. King froze and then whirled around.

"He said what?"

"The kid's in Rhode Island,"

"I didn't go over there to ask about the kid. Why'd the lawyer bring him up?"

"I don't know. And I don't care. Neither should you. After I got off the phone with the lawyer, the deputy director called. Yeah, that's right. You're in tall weeds, my man."

Just then, Agent Atkins ran up.

"I found your friend," he told King.

"Excuse me?"

"Virgil. Somebody found him in Stanton Island."

--HOSPITAL--

King ran towards the room where his brother-in-law was. Both Virgil and Jackie looked up as he walked in.

"Man, you looked better the last time I saw you," King sighed, relieved.

"What about the boy?" Virgil demanded weakly. King frowned.

"What _about_ the boy?" he asked.

--CAIN RESIDENCE--

Knapp walked into the room, carrying a fast food drink-holder.

"Kid get on the line?" he asked. Turner shook her head.

"Kidnapper did all the talking," she said, and in her refined British accent, it came out sounding twice as annoyed. "He was good at it, too."

"Anything distinctive?" Knapp persisted. "Instead of 'would have' did he say 'would've'?" She shook her head.

"It seemed rehearsed. What about Canton?"

"Well, Canton is clay." Knapp said.

"So much for ask questions first," Turner said.

"Hey, it wasn't my idea to move his smile to his neck," Knapp responded, handing her her coffee cup. "Did you get anything off the phone lines?"

"Maria."

"The housekeeper?"

"Yeah. Her husband called twice." Knapp looked at her expectantly. "And they spoke in Spanish. I took French. You can go through the tapes yourself."

"What else?" Knapp asked, wiping spilled sugar off the table.

"Mr. Cain made three calls to lawyers. He has a kidnap and ransom insurance policy on Leopold."

"Something he might've mentioned this morning," Knapp commented. "What about Mrs. Cain?"

"She called 'Daddy' but he wasn't available."

"Who's 'daddy'?"

"Normally it's anyone but 'Daddy', but in this case it's actually her father; she does call him 'Daddy'."

"Who's he?" Knapp asked.

"Benjamin Rand." Turner answered. Knapp stared at her for a moment and then shrugged.

"I give up, who's Benjamin Rand?"

"Read a magazine. After she couldn't reach him, she called another number."

"Whose?"

"I don't know, but they're still on the line. Want to listen?" Knapp motioned for her to give him the headphones and they listened in:

"I need to see you," Ellie was saying.

"I can't get there right now, I'll fly in as soon as I can," promised an unfamiliar male voice. Knapp handed the headphones back to Turner.

"Find out who _that_ is," he ordered.

"Running a trace," she answered as he headed down the hallway.

--KIDNAPPER'S DEN, LOCATION UNKNOWN--

The man who'd silenced Leopold walked into a kitchenette, where another Latino man was relaxing.

"I'm going out," he announced. "Take care of it." He tossed a bottle of pills to the Latino, who looked at him.

"He's not going anywhere. Hasn't he had enough?" the Latino asked, stirring something in a pan. "He's just a kid.

"_Do as you're told_," the other man ordered in Spanish before walking out. The Latino sighed and grabbed a glass. He went into the room where Leo was still on the bed and gave the kid a pill, along with a glass of milk. Leo downed it, and the Latino left. Leo then reached into his mouth and pulled out the pill, stuffing it under its mattress where it joined other pills just like it.

--CAIN RESIDENCE--

Knapp looked up as Turner joined him on the balcony.

"You know I almost bought this place?" she asked.

"Yeah, me too, but the view sucks," he answered. She looked at it.

"Nice jump, though. I ran a callback on that number,"

"Mrs. Cain." Knapp guessed.

"No, I got a Secret Service switchboard."

"And?"

"And I hung up." Turner said, leaning against the railing. "Elwood called."

"Find Aubrey?" Knapp asked.

"She was a no-show at class today. He went by her place and her flat-mates-!"

"_House_ mates," Knapp corrected. She shot him a look.

"_Flat_ mates say she went away."

"Went away," Knapp repeated.

"Yeah, with some guy she met at a bar."

"Did you get a name?"

"Negatory," Turner said grimly. "Also, Elwood said to tell you that he saw Calvin Vance at Aubrey's experimental psych class; said you'd remember him from Camp Pendleton. He also wanted me to remind you who his sometimes employer is and that you ain't the only game in town."

Inside the house, Ellie fixed up Leopold's bed. Passing by, Knapp saw her and paused.

"Mrs. Cain-!" he began.

"How long does it take?" she interrupted. "To bring them back?"

"It depends," he said. "Listen, Mrs. Cain-!" Again his words were cut off, this time by his cellphone. He looked at the homeowner. "Excuse me," he said, answering it. "Hello?"

"Knapp, it's been awhile."

"Is that you, Latimer? How's Barb?" Knapp asked. Downstairs, walking towards the apartment, King smiled.

"Oh I'm looking right at her. Pregnant again, she's as big as a house. Listen, are you in town? Maybe we could get together and have lunch or something."

"I'm in Kentucky," Knapp answered, heading to see what Turner had found out.

"How do you pronounce the capital? Lou-_is_-ville or Lou-_ie_-ville?"

"I'm pretty sure it's Lou-_ie_-ville," Knapp answered as the door behind him opened.

"Actually it's pronounced 'Frankfort'," King said, drowning out Maria's protests. "It's amazing how many people follow the rule about not calling the cops," he commented.

"Your wife looks great," Knapp said, looking at Archer. "I wouldn't be surprised if she was carrying twins."

"You're a funny guy." Archer sneered.

"Great, now I have to come up with something nice to say about you," Knapp shot back. Latimer sighed as Archer spoke.

"This is a federal investigation. You get in my way and I'll throw you in jail." He warned as the Cains rushed into the room. Maria began her apologies and Archer began his spiel.

"Mr. Cain, I'm Special Agent Andy Archer. We have reason to believe your son's been kidnapped. Mr. Cain? Has your son been kidnapped?"

Conrad sighed and looked at Knapp questioningly.

"You are under no lawful obligation to answer those questions." Knapp said, drowning out Archer. "Next thing you know he'll want to conduct interviews. And he'll ask if you and Mrs. Cain wouldn't mind sitting in for a polygraph test?"

"What?" Mr. Cain asked sharply.

"Just so we can eliminate you as suspects," Knapp said with mock innocence.

"Get him out of here." Archer ordered another agent. The agent stepped forward with every intention of grabbing Knapp and leading him away. Instead, he got his arm twisted up behind him. King leapt forward.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy. Let him go, Knapp!" he commanded. As Knapp shoved the unfortunate agent away from him, Conrad looked at the two of them.

"You two know each other?" he asked.

"Yeah, we used to work together," Knapp replied. Just then, the phone rang. Everyone charged into the study, where Turner was waiting. Knapp handed King a pair of headphones and then put on his own. Conrad grabbed the phone.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Cain." Said the distorted voice.

"Listen, I will give you anything you want, just let me talk to my son! Please!"

"He needs his medicine!" Ellie added.

"Your son's medication has already been provided. If you would like it to stay that way, be at Church Street Station, Coney Island line, 20 million dollars." Then, as before, the line went dead.

"Did you get it?" Turner demanded of her contact. She listened for a few moments and then looked at Knapp. "We got a trace, it's in Brooklyn."

--FBI HEADQUARTERS, CONFERENCE--

Knapp listened as Archer laid out his plan to take the Brooklyn apartment.

"This is a bad idea," he said. Archer looked at him.

"What now?" he asked, annoyed.

"If the kid's not at the apartment, he's at the drop. If he's not at the drop, he's at the apartment, he's in Hoboken, he's on the moon."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying we don't know what we don't know. We should wait and see if the kid's at the drop. If he's not at the drop, _then_ we take the apartment."

"I'm not letting these guys slip through my fingers!" Archer snapped.

"These guys are nowhere near our fingers!" Knapp countered.

"Gentlemen?" King broke in. "We take the drop first, then we'll deal with the apartment. I don't want anybody moving a muscle until we have Mr. Cain's son."

"We'll put plainclothesmen in," Archer said. "They'll blend in and keep their eyes on the package.

"Whoa!" Mr. Cain said suddenly. He strode over to the table and then pointed at Knapp. "I want to know what he thinks."

"I think if you ever want to see your kid again, there shouldn't be an agent within a hundred miles of the drop point," Knapp said firmly.

"Mr. Cain, this is a federal case," King countered. "We're going to do everything we can to get your son back."

--CHURCH STREET STATION--

Conrad walked down to the correct line, carrying a brown briefcase filled with money.

"Knapp, you there?" he asked. Across the tracks, Knapp watched his employer.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"What do we do?"

"We wait. Who's got eyes on Brooklyn?"

"All quiet here," Archer responded, from where he and several other agents were staking out the apartment.

--KIDNAPPER'S HIDEOUT--

Leo looked up as the door opened and the Latino entered, carrying a cheap TV dinner. He handed it to Leo, along with plastic-ware, and then left. Leo looked at the plastic knife thoughtfully.

--CHURCH STREET STATION--

A train rumbled into the station. Conrad watched it and then looked up as the payphone nearby rang. With no one else around, he grabbed it.

"Hello?"

"Enter the tunnel and head toward Coney Island."

"Coney Island?" Conrad asked. "How…..how do I….?"

"Coney Island," repeated the now familiar unclear voice. Conrad hung up the phone and then, waiting until another train came along to obscure him from Knapp's view, climbed down onto the tracks and into the tunnel.

Across the tracks, Knapp saw his employer disappear. Not appearing too alarmed, he jogged towards the steps.

At the apartment, Archer watched as a van slowly passed.

Inside the tunnel, Conrad looked around.

"Hello?" he called. "Hello?"

He was forced to flatten himself against the wall as a train flew by. As soon as it was gone, a man stood there. Conrad looked at him, heart pounding. "Hello?" he asked.

"Don't come any closer." The man ordered.

"OK. I have your money," Conrad said, noticing Knapp slipping behind the man.

"OK."

"Where should I put it? Where's Leopold? Where is he?"

"I don't know, man-!" the guy said, just as Knapp bulled into him from behind.

"Do we have the bag man?" Archer demanded.

"I don't know." King said as he ran up.

"I'm taking the apartment."

"No, not yet!" King ordered. Knapp stood up.

"He's not the guy."

"What do you mean he's not the guy? Where's Leopold?" Conrad yelled.

"I don't know anything about Leopold!" the guy cried. "Some guy slipped me a C-Note……to deliver a letter!"

"I'm going in," Archer said.

"No!" King cried.

"I'm the senior officer, and I'm in charge!" Archer snapped as he signaled his men to take the apartment. Knapp unfolded the man's letter and then read it.

"It's a set up!" he shouted, lunging towards the radio.

Across town, the SWAT teams burst into the apartment just as it exploded. King grabbed the letter from Knapp and looked at it:

_Nice seeing you in Brooklyn_

--KIDNAPPER'S HIDEOUT--

Leo crouched under his bed, trying to pull aside the wall paneling using the knife. He heard the sound of someone at the door and froze.

The Latino opened the door. Leo sat on his bed, eating dinner like there was no tomorrow.

--CAIN RESIDENCE--

Ellie looked up as the phone rang. She ran to get it.

"Hello?" she asked breathlessly. "Conrad?" Silence.

"You just killed your son," said a jumbled voice before the line went dead.

A few hours later, Conrad walked into his home. Ellie was in Leopold's room, clutching one of his clothes. Conrad went over and tried to take it from her. She let out a choked sob and started hitting him. He gently but firmly held her back until she started sobbing into his shoulder.

--BROOKLYN APARTMENT--

Knapp drove towards the wreckage, seeing the fire trucks, police cars and ambulances that were all over the scene. Beside him, Latimer and Atkins pulled up in their car. Knapp got out of his and stormed towards Andy Archer.

"Hey stupid! Nice work, you did exactly what they wanted you to!" he yelled, furious. Archer turned to face him, a protest on his lips that died when Knapp's fist slammed into his nose. "The trace was a setup! You stuck your neck out and signed their guestbook! They saw you coming and sent the bag man home!" the investigator snarled. Latimer ran up.

"Hey!" he yelled.

"What?" Knapp growled.

"It was his call to make and he made it!" the agent said. "And it was the right call."

"Come on, Latimer!"

"Come on, nothing! It just didn't turn out the way you wanted it to," Latimer said.

"I followed procedure!" Archer put in, standing. Knapp scoffed.

"Yeah, that's the problem with you people and your rule book. What you can't seem to understand is you're the only ones playing by the rules!" he said angrily before walking off.

"You OK?" Latimer asked.

"Yeah." Archer replied.

"Good. Cause if you ever pull a stunt like that again, I will end you," Latimer warned before heading back to his car. Atkins looked up as he got in. "OK, let's tag it, put some men on it, and put a shadow on Knapp." The agent ordered.

"What happened to retirement?" Atkins asked.

"Yeah. What happened to it?" Latimer sighed.

--CAIN RESIDENCE, ROOFTOP--

Ellie looked up as Knapp joined her on the roof.

"Business as usual out there," she said, looking out at the city. "People going to bed in one place and people waking up in another. The ebb and flow of the tides, Mr. Knapp. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Traffic jams. Baseball games. A teenager's first kiss. I don't see how things can still go on. How the earth spins on its axis and doesn't miss one silly revolution for my son." She laughed bitterly. "You wake up worrying about the color of a napkin and by the end…..you feel so small you can barely breathe."

"The men who took Leopold were motivated by greed. Your son is only worth something to them alive, Mrs. Cain," Knapp said.

"Business as usual, Mr. Knapp." Ellie said coolly before heading inside.

A little while later, Knapp stood at the window, staring out at the city. He heard footsteps and turned. Conrad stood there. Parent and investigator stared at each other for a moment, and then Conrad spoke:

"Bring him home," he said, his voice hoarse. Knapp nodded and then turned back to the window. Somewhere, out in the city, Latimer King was at his brother-in-law's bedside, watching him hover between life and death. A cold and calculating man was waiting for the right moment to either grant two distraught parents the kindness of seeing their boy again, or the cruelty of keeping him from them. And a fifteen year old kid who had two loving parents, a talkative younger sister, a college age sister, and a normal life, was trying to get some rest, uncertain as to what the next day would bring.

Then the phone rang.

**There! Episode one completed! Please be sure to read and review if you want to see more!**


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